KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Thursday sought a report about the service record, recruitment process and qualification of five brothers working on different posts in the Sindh Assembly secretariat.

A two-judge bench headed by Justice Mohammad Iqbal Kalhoro sought such details while hearing a petition filed in April 2022 against their alleged illegal appointments in the assembly secretariat and their out-of-turn promotions.

The petitioner contended that former Sindh Assembly secretary M. Hadi Bux Buriro had got illegally appointed his five sons — G. M. Umar Farooq Buriro, Rashid Hussain Buriro, Arshad Hussain Buriro, Abdul Majid Buriro and Muzamil Rehman Buriro — and other relatives against various posts in the Sindh Assembly and had also ensured their out-of-turn promotions.

When the bench took up the matter for hearing, an additional advocate general filed a statement on behalf of the Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani. A counsel for three of the five brothers sought time to prepare a brief.

The bench also heard the petitioner’s lawyer at some length. “Adjourned to 01.03.2023 at 11:00 am, meanwhile, learned AAG is directed to file copies of service files of respondents No. 2 to 6,” the bench in its order stated.

In his comments, Speaker Durrani rejects allegations of nepotism in appointment, promotion of five sons of ex-PA speaker

In response to the comments filed by PA special secretary Muhammad Khan Rind who informed the SHC that appointments and promotions of the five brothers were illegal and in contravention with service rules, the speaker in his reply contended that Mr Rind’s parawise comments were unauthorised and without permission.

It further submitted that an inquiry had also been initiated against Mr Rind by the speaker for filing unauthorised replies and correspondence in various proceedings before courts.

Speaker Durrani in his statement also raised several preliminary objections about the maintainability of the petition including a delay of nine years in filing the petition for quo-warranto and also questioned that whether upgrade of a post, transfers, postings, promotions and appointments fell within the purview of the petition for quo-warranto.

The speaker in his reply defended the appointments and promotions of five brothers and stated that the allegations of favouritism and nepotism raised against such appointments and promotions were baseless.

Petitioner Qasim Saeed Qureshi had submitted in his petition that the appointments and subsequent promotions of G. M. Umar Farooq Buriro, presently serving as Sindh Assembly secretary (BPS 21), Rashid Hussain Buriro, director general (BPS 20), Arshad Hussain Buriro working as deputy secretary (BS 18), Abdul Majid Buriro severing as controller (BPS 18) and Muzamil Rehman Buriro as estate officer (BPS 18) at the provincial assembly secretariat were made illegally and without completing codal formalities.

He further submitted that initially, Umar Farooq was appointed in 2006 as assistant research officer. When his father, Hadi Bux Buriro, met an accident in 2012, he was allowed to act as PA secretary in place of his father by the then speaker Sindh Assembly.

Thereafter, within eight months Umar Farooq was promoted as special secretary (BPS 20) and then to the post of secretary (BPS 21) while his senior Qasim Mangrio was still working in BPS-18 as deputy secretary, he maintained.

The petitioner further argued that other sons of Hadi Bux had also been inducted in lower grades initially and then they were granted out-of-turn promotions in grade 18 and above by violating rules.

He pleaded to declare all such appointments and promotions illegal, unlawful and in violation of Sindh Assembly Secretariat (Appointment, Promotion and Transfer) Rules 1975.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2023